Press digest

The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:

The Sunday Times says outgoing European Commissioner Joe Borg had criticised the Prime Minister over the way the choice of the new commissioner was made. He said he only learnt that he had not been reappointed from the news.

The Malta Independent on Sunday says Malta is to receive its H1N1 vaccines early next year. It also says a decision is expected tomorrow over whether the office of the new EU asylum agency is to be based in Malta.

MaltaToday says John Dalli accepted to go to Brussels after he realised he could not lead a rebellion against the Prime Minister because of unwilling rebels. It also says that Austin Gatt knew, since October, of the BWSC bribery allegations. BWSC is a Danish company which won a contract to extend the Delimara power station.

Il-Mument says Joseph Muscat had worked against major reforms led by John Dalli, including the introduction of VAT and the privatisation of Mid-Med Bank. It also says two Labour MPs, Jose' Herrera and Adrian Vassallo, were absent from important Budget votes in Parliament last week.

It-Torca asks if Austin Gatt will replace John Dalli and if Beppe Fenech Adami will become a minister. It also reports that Mepa development applications on the extension of the power station are proceeding despite the cloud of corruption allegations made against supplier BWSC abroad. It also says the power tariffs revision is expected to be announced in the coming days, with the tariffs rising between 12 and 20 percent.

KullHadd leads with the raging controversy of the corruption allegations made against BWSC. It also reports that Finance Minister Tonio Fenech is dismissing allegations made against him as lies and false assertions, although the person making them, Charles Magro, is standing his ground on work done at the minister's house.

Illum focuses on the ministerial declaration of assets and speaks about a frame-up against Karmnu Grima, saying no shots were fired at Dom Mintoff in the incident at Castille on October 15, 1979.

The Press in Britain...

The Mail on Sunday claims Tony Blair is to be grilled by the Chilcot Inquiry over a secret 2002 memo from Attorney General Lord Goldsmith warning the former PM that the Iraq war was illegal.

The Observer reveals British National Party chairman Nick Griffin will represent the European Parliament at the UN Copenhagen climate change conference.

The Sunday People says Prince Charles will attend the climate change summit.

According to The Sunday Herald, David Cameron has been urged by a senior and influential Conservative to create a breakaway Scottish Tory party.

Scotland on Sunday claims the SNP was embroiled in a scandal after an aide to the Constitution Minister used the internet to smear political rivals.

The Sunday Telegraph claims new research reveals the "true scandal" of NHS hospitals failing to comply with basic safety standards, naming 12 trusts judged to be "significantly underperforming".

The Sunday Independent says pharmacists, hospitals and wholesalers selling prescription drugs intended for the UK to higher-paying customers in Europe are putting patients' lives at risk.

The Sunday Times says parents will be vetted for criminal records if they wish to accompany their children to school Christmas carol services over the festive period.

The Sunday Express reports thousands of violent criminals and sex offenders are walking free because the Crown Prosecution Service failed to prepare their files in time.

The Sunday Mirror talks to the male model who shared Stephen Gately's holiday home the night the Boyzone star died.

The Daily Star Sunday has the latest on Katie Price, aka Jordan: she now says she'll marry cagefighter Alex Reid.

Metro says a 30-yar-old man in the UK lived for a year without spending any money, growing his own food and reusing junk that people have thrown away.

And elsewhere...

Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Trinidad and Tobago have decided to hold the 2011 meeting in Australia. The Australian Associated Press (AAP) says an official announcement is expected to be made today.

Meanwhile, Trinidad Guardian reports that the Commonwealth leaders called for a legally binding international agreement on climate change and a global fund with billions of dollars to help poor countries meet its mandates.

Tribune de Genève says Swiss police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at some 3,000 hooded protesters who broke windows and set cars alight during a demonstration ahead of a major WTO conference in Geneva. Next week's WTO meeting of more than a hundred ministers will be the first in four years.

Afghan Times quotes British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announcing an international conference on Afghanistan would be held in London on January 28. Afghan President Hamid Karzai would be asked to commit himself to "milestones" for beefing up his army, police and local governance to prepare for the district-by-district transition of power in the country's 34 provinces.

Corriere della Sera reports that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would like to "strangle" people who write books or make films about the mafia. Speaking to supporters of his Forza Italia in Sardinia, he dismissed as "unfounded and defamatory" several Italian news media reports suggesting he might have been implicated in bomb attacks carried out by the Italian underworld in 1992 and 1993.

Congo's Radio Okapi says at least 90 people are confirmed dead after a logging boat sank on Lake Maindome. Dozens of corpses were spread on the sand along the shores. The Congolese Red Cross told the station that more than 250 survivors had been rescued.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Observer reports a ferry packed with people going home for an Islamic festival capsized as they disembarked in southern Bangladesh, leaving at least 30 dead and scores missing. Many of the dead were women and children. The ferry was carrying more than 1,500 people.

Saudi Times says the death toll from the unusually heavy rains that hit western Saudi Arabia has reached 106. A government said rescue teams were looking for possible survivors from the downpours that caused heavy flooding in the coastal city of Jiddah, the main entry point for the millions of Muslims performing the annual hajj pilgrimage.

Il Centro reports that the parents of Amanda Knox have been accused of libel after telling London's The Sunday Times last June that Italian police officers had manhandled their daughter while interrogating her over the murder of Meredith Kercher. Knox, who denies the charges, claimed in court in June that police hit her twice on the back of the head.

Sunday Herald Sun reports golf champion Tiger Woods was allegedly injured during a heated argument with his wife amid reports linking him to another woman, who was in Melbourne while he played in the Australian Masters. The accident, which happened about 2.25am on Friday (Florida time), saw Woods' Cadillac 4WD slam into a fire hydrant and tree just metres from his home. Police said alcohol was not involved.

Saudi Gazette says a 23-year-old unmarried woman was given one-year prison term and 100 lashes for committing adultery and trying to abort the eight-week-old fetus. The girl had told the court she had a forced sexual intercourse with a man and four of his friends who assaulted her all night long. The woman will be lashed after delivery of her baby.